Students at the University of Geneina, Sudan. Photo by Albert González Farran – UNAMID, used under license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The US government has issued a general license to amend US Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions on Sudan. The general license authorizes the exportation and re-exportation to Sudan of “certain software, hardware and services incident to personal communications over the Internet.”

Under the new license, announced on January 17, 2015, Sudanese should be able to have access to, as well as purchase, personal communications technologies they were unable to use under the previous restrictions. This includes smartphones, tablets, laptops, network devices and a plethora of online services like web hosting, mobile app stores, and cloud storage services, among others.

The decision follows similar ones taken by the US government towards other sanctioned countries in recent years, including Cuba, Iran, and Syria, that aim to promote freedom of expression by enabling certain communications technologies to reach the citizens of those countries.

Jubilant Reaction

Sudanese on social media were ecstatic over the news, some joking about bidding VPNs farewell, while others were concerned about ensuring US corporations would comply with the new regulations.

I didn't imagine I'd live to see the day the US digital sanctions on communications are lifted. *sobs and blows nose*

Long Fight

Human rights activist Dalia Haj-Omar described on Twitter the sanctions amendment as a ‘victory', achieved by strenuous efforts by Sudanese civil society and a global network of US and non-US digital rights activists and organizations. Last year, Haj-Omar wrote about the ongoing campaign by Sudanese activists to lift the sanctions on digital communications to Sudan:

The campaign aims to educate the Sudanese public and American policy-makers about the negative impact of US sanctions on the free access to information communication technologies (ICTs) and the internet in Sudan. The launch marks a year-long advocacy effort that has included talks with US-based civil society groups and the US State Department.

A campaign to lift US digital sanctions on Sudan was launched last year by Sudanese activists aimed to shine light on how Sudanese people are affected by US sanctions on digital communications.

Journalists, political activists and human rights defenders in Sudan are particularly endangered by the worsening human rights situation in the country. Sudan has occupied the top rankings for violating freedom of expression and press freedom in human rights organizations’ freedom indexes over the past decade.

As for internet freedom, Sudan was classified ‘Not Free’ in Freedom House's Freedom on the Net index for 2013 and 2014.

The Road Ahead

In an op-Ed published on the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum's Facebook page, charge d'affairs Ambassador Jery Lanier reflected on the positive impact the exemptions will have on Sudanese people:

I believe these amendments will give Sudanese students, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, journalists, civic leaders, and others better access to the telecommunications tools they need to study, create, grow, and serve their communities. It will ease some of the difficulties in daily life faced by Sudanese people, and in a way that enhances their communications and relationship with the American people.

While a welcome step in the right direction, the new amendments are still limited in scope and the massive challenges faced by Sudanese citizens remain warranted. Young Sudanese professionals in particular are feeling increasingly isolated and unable to integrate into the global community to pursuit their innovative and entrepreneur aspirations.

“We need to push this forward now!”, Mohamed Hashim Kambal, Internet activist and coordinator of the ‘Lift US Digital Santions on Sudan’ campaign told Global Voices via Skype. Kambal cited several examples in which the sanctions still affect Sudanese citizens. “Even under the new general license, young professional engineers and developers cannot get certified by industry-established US and non-US providers and vendors from inside Sudan. Exam and certification centers can't open in Khartoum,” he explained. This has led many of these young professionals to give up on pursing their careers in Sudan, contributing to a reportedly massive exodus of skilled work force. Professionals in the fields of medicine, humanitarian development and peacekeeping face similar obstacles.

The US-based Electronic Frontier Foundation has criticized in the past what it described as US government's ‘piecemeal approach’ to the sanctions, arguing that it harms innovation and development in sanctioned countries.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/22/us-government-eases-sanctions-to-allow-export-of-personal-communications-tools-to-sudan/feed/12015 Presents an Opportunity for Free and Fair Elections in Africahttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/18/2015-presents-an-opportunity-for-free-and-fair-elections-in-africa/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/18/2015-presents-an-opportunity-for-free-and-fair-elections-in-africa/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 12:57:29 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=509529Wekesa Sylvanus hopes that 2015 will be a year of free and fair elections in Africa:

Since the advent of multi party democracy in Africa, electoral contests have become a do or die affair in majority of African countries. Elections in Africa are a high risk affair and in the recent times, they have been a trigger of conflicts. Kenya and Ivory Coast are good examples of how mismanaged elections can plunge a country into a conflict. Half a century after gaining independence, majority of African states have not got it right in terms of conducting and managing free and fair elections. The year 2015 will see a host of African countries go through elections. Presidential elections and/or legislative elections will be held in Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Togo, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Central Africa Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Chad, and Egypt and may be South Sudan depending on the peace deal to be signed. Most of these countries have struggled to institute the practice of democracy in recent times. 2015 therefore presents a great opportunity for them to show the world that they have matured democratically.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/18/2015-presents-an-opportunity-for-free-and-fair-elections-in-africa/feed/0The Utopia that We Are All Sudanesehttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/23/the-utopia-that-we-are-all-sudanese/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/23/the-utopia-that-we-are-all-sudanese/#commentsSun, 23 Mar 2014 05:11:04 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=463136Dalia Haj Omar discusses ‘The Utopia that We Are All Sudanese’:

Following the sad events of March 11, at the University of Khartoum, GIRIFNA did what it usually does. It issued a brief statement based on eyewitness accounts of its members about the death of student Ali Abbaker Musa. And the violent treatment and arrest of the Darfuri students who organized and attended a political debate and a peaceful march inside the campus, in order to highlight the latest deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur.

What followed was a vibrant debate resulting from messages of concern that poured in from within the movement questioning why the title of the press statement was, “Darfuri Student Killed at University of Khartoum” and not simply, “Student Killed at University of Khartoum”.

Many felt strongly that singling out the ethnicity of the killed student served the regime’s tactics of dividing us as “Sudanese” into ethnicities rather than what many of us dream of being–Sudanese citizens of one nation before and on top of our ethnic and/or tribal affiliations. Others insisted that the suffering is generalized and we should focus on issues and not tribes/regions. It is important to note that the Darfurians and members from the East within the movement had an opposing opinion, and argued for the importance of pointing out Musa’s geographic origin.

I would like to argue that in this particular context it is important to stress that a Darfuri student was murdered by the regime. The event inside the campus was organized by the Darfur Student Union who wanted to raise the awareness of the rest of the student body about the worsening humanitarian crisis and ongoing conflict in their region.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/03/23/the-utopia-that-we-are-all-sudanese/feed/0Sudan: Blogger Remains in Detention for Criticizing Presidentshttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/17/sudan-blogger-remains-in-detention-for-criticizing-presidents/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/17/sudan-blogger-remains-in-detention-for-criticizing-presidents/#commentsMon, 17 Feb 2014 19:28:00 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=453894Sudanese blogger and activist Tajeldin Arja has been in detention since his arrest on December 24, 2013 at a joint press conference of the Sudanese and Chadian Presidents in Khartoum, Sudan's capital. Arja, a political activist from North Darfur, interrupted the speaker at the opening session and criticized the two leaders, in what Amnesty International described as an effort to “[hold] them responsible for the atrocities committed in Darfur.”

He was then arrested by security guards, as the video below clearly shows. Local and international human rights organization stated that the 26-year-old blogger is at serious risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Activists in Sudan have called for a solidarity sit-in before the governmental human rights commission to demand his immediate release. The sit-in will take place on Tuesday, February 18.

Chadian president Idris Deby was on an official two-day visit to Khartoum to discuss peace, security and border issues in the Darfur region with Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir. On the day before his arrest, Arja, who hails from North Darfur, announced on his Facebook account his intention to attend the presidential press conference and confront the audience whom he described as “opportunist leaders.” He called on other activists to do the same and express their “impressions” about the event and its attendees.

Arja's arrest was widely reported on after video footage of the incident — apparently taken by an anonymous attendee from a mobile phone — was uploaded on YouTube. The video shows Arja standing in the front row and shouting criticism at the two presidents. “You want to fool and deceive public opinion!”, he was heard saying to Al-Bashir and Diby. Security guards immediately seized him and can be seen escorting him outside the conference hall. “You can kill us, torture us…” were his last spoken words on the short video. News sources have reported that members of the security service at the conference confiscated the equipment of international journalists and TV channel crewmen at the event and conducted on-site search of their content in anticipation that the arrest might have been caught on camera.

Amnesty International has issued an urgent action appeal calling on Sudanese authorities to charge Arja with a recognizable criminal offense or to release him without delay, warning that he remains under serious risk of torture and other forms of mistreatment. The organization emphasized that Arja was one of the victims of their ill-fated policies surrounding the conflict in Darfur:

Tajeldin Ahmed Arja is from North Darfur. He was displaced with his family during the early years of the Darfur conflict. Since then, he has reportedly become critical of the Sudanese government and has written and blogged about the situation in Darfur.

Independent online newspaper Al-Taghyeer [ar] reported that a close relative of Arja, who was able to visit him in prison, said that the blogger was held in solitary confinement and was subjected to systematic and continuous beating and torture:

The source has told Al-Taghyeer Online that signs of fatigue and exhaustion were visible on [Tajeldهn] Arja, who said that he has been subjected to “continuous torture since his arrest that only stopped two days before the visit”. Arja said that he was put under solitary confinement during all his detention, and was only transferred days ago to Kober Prison.

A Blow to Government Rhetoric

Blogger and activist leader Amjed Farid wrote a blog post putting Arja's arrest in the context of that state of freedom of expression in Sudan and the upcoming 2015 presidential elections:

It is not only the case of Tajeldin Arja although it is enough to make the point. Sudan government keeps a very harsh censorship on daily newspapers with three of them (Almidan, Rai Alsha’ab and Altayar) prohibited from printing for almost three years now without any official reasons (the first two are official publications of legally registered parties). Moreover, during September and October last year, the regime detained hundreds of politicians and activists from their homes and the reason was their political views and stands. The detention was the easy part of that, others hundreds were killed in the streets in cold blood for demonstrating against price raise and economic measures in September 2013.

The youth movement Sudan Change Now has called on its Facebook page [ar] for the activism community in Sudan to hold a peaceful sit-in on February 18, 2014, in front of the government-run Human Rights Commission (HRC) to demand the immediate release of Arja.

Observers have argued that Al-Bashir's failure to issue an executive order to release all political detainees renders the government's new language of open dialogue, reform and reconciliation “empty rhetoric”, as Tajeldin Arja and many other activists languish in prisons while the perpetrators of crimes and human rights violations enjoy impunity.

A video by WITNESS on the Human Rights Channel of YouTube wrapped up some of the most significant protests and human rights abuses of 2013. Dozens of clips shot by citizens worldwide are edited together to show efforts to withstand injustice and oppression, from Sudan to Saudi Arabia, Cambodia to Brazil.

A post on the WITNESS blog by Madeleine Bair from December 2013, celebrates the power of citizen activism using new technologies including video, while readers are reminded that the difficulty of verification and establishing authenticity remains a big obstacle.

“Citizen footage can and is throwing a spotlight on otherwise inaccessible places such as prisons, war zones, and homes,” says Bair. “But given the uncertainties inherent in such footage, reporters and investigators must use it with caution.”

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/02/03/human-rights-video-2013-year-in-review/feed/2Coursera Online Courses Blocked in Syria, Iran and Cuba by US Sanctions [UPDATE]http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/29/coursera-online-courses-blocked-in-syria-iran-and-cuba-by-us-sanctions/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/29/coursera-online-courses-blocked-in-syria-iran-and-cuba-by-us-sanctions/#commentsWed, 29 Jan 2014 11:12:10 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=453889UPDATE (January 30, 2014): Yesterday, Coursera posted an update on site accessibility in sanctioned countries. While Coursera services in Cuba, Iran, and Sudan remain blocked, access for Syrian users has been restored due to anexception that “authorizes certain services in support of nongovernmental organizations’ activities in Syria, particularly as they pertain to increasing access to education.”

Hit by US sanctions, online learning platform Coursera is no longer available for students from Syria, Sudan, Iran and Cuba. Those affected were surprised to have the following message on their screen as they tried to access their courses:

Our system indicates that you are trying to access the Coursera site from an IP address associated with a country currently subjected to US economic and trade sanctions. In order for Coursera to comply with US export controls, we cannot allow you to access to the site.

Between the censorship imposed by the regime, which includes blocking hundreds of internet sites, and the effect of US sanctions, it has become nearly impossible for the remaining youth in the country to have access to online learning.

Editor-in-chief at Wamda Nina Curley was more pragmatic in her approach and asked if it was inevitable:

Was this inevitable? A new solution is needed. Online education platform Coursera blocks students in Syria and Iran: http://t.co/LPizvB61mL

About 30,000 undocumented Africans living in Israel [fr] mounted a three-day strike and a series of protests backed by human rights defenders in early January against an act that allows Israeli authorities to place undocumented immigrants in detention without any trial nor case review for up to a year.

Aside from the new law, approved on December 10, 2013, protesters denounced the refusal of Israeli authorities to consider their applications for refugee status as well as the detention of hundreds of them. The video below highlights the scale of events and presents protesters demands:

The Holot detention centre in the Negev desert, near the border between Israel and Egypt, already has received numerous inmates since December 2013.

Holot can house 3,300 migrants and is set to expand, eventually reaching a capacity of between 6,000 and 9,000 people, according to Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Israel's Public Security Minister.

The anti-undocumented African feeling has reached alarming levels, fed by hate speech, such as the “Le sentiment” video published by Djemila Yamina. The video shows Israeli citizens stating in a public gathering that undocumented immigrants are “psychopaths, scum and manure that need to be expelled from our country”

Elsewhere, minority extremist groups have attacked immigrants. In Israel, the government and the judiciary systems are taking an active part. Previously in July 2012, Allain Jules condemned [fr] on his blog:

What is going on in Israel is shameful. Between a minister demanding that undocumented immigrants are simply assassinated, suggesting we shoot at them at the very moment they try to cross the borders, and another minister that talks about the risks of impurity for the future state of Israel that must retain its Jewish character

By virtue of the Israeli law, work is prohibited for immigrants as long as they are not registered as asylum seekers. Which is virtually impossible for them. In effect, according to United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), while the national average recognition rate for asylum seekers is 39 percent, in Israel this rate is lower than 1 percent. In Israel, the majority of asylum claimants are Eritreans and Sudanese, that have an international recognition rate of 84 percent and 64 percent respectively.

This racism is incomprehensible coming from people who have suffered under the Nazis, with its cohort of heinous acts aimed at Jewish extermination. Nevertheless, it was Golda Meir who proclaimed that: “… Africans and Jews share common points. They have been victims of history, who died in concentration camps or have been enslaved… “. In the 1960s, the Israeli State forged strong links with the African continent. African students were welcomed into the kibbutz. Vice versa, there were plenty of Israelis who were involved in supporting the development of the newly enacted independent states. It is worth mentioning too the struggle of South African Jews alongside Nelson Mandela in the strife against apartheid. Not to forget those who engaged with the Civil Rights activists in the United States.

What is it about illegal immigration that provokes so much hatred in Israel? In response, JOL Press site presents figures [fr] from the Freedom 4 Refugees Association:

“Approximately 50,000 asylum seekers live currently in Israel. We fled persecution, military forces, dictatorship, civil wars and genocide. Instead of being treated as refugees by the government of Israel, we are being dealt with as criminals,” explained Freedom4Refugees. “We demand that the law be revoked, the end of arrests, and the release of all asylum seekers and refugees imprisoned,” the refugees declared in a petition communicated by the Freedom4Refugees Association. Mainly Sudanese, South Sudanese and Eritrean demonstrators further demand that asylum applications are made “in an individual, fair and transparent way”.

Al Monitor website noted the discriminatory character of measures taken against African immigrants:

At the same time, however, there are some 93,000 “tourists without valid visas” in Israel, about half of them from the former Soviet Union. Needless to say, the government is not building special detainment centers for them. The number of people requesting asylum is also significantly lower than the number of legal guest workers in Israel (approximately 70,000), much to the relief of those companies that arrange to bring them to the country and employ them.

There has been striking indifference at an international level. In an article published on Rue89, Renée Greusard disclosed everyday racism against Israel's black population:

When we address this issue together, American journalist David Sheen weighs his words and talks slowly:

“The current level of racism in Israel can be compared to what has been experienced in other Western countries 50, 60 years ago. People are insulted in the streets. Often when blacks board buses, people would plug their noses and block the seats near them, opening the windows while ranting ‘Ah! But we don't need all these blacks!'

In other countries, people are embarrassed by their racist thoughts. They do not divulge them in public. Here, not quite. They are confident and proud on their racism.”

These types of comments frequently arouse passions on both sides of the issue. An article by Jack Guez on Yahoo News has received 2,410 comments, and many of these comments have in turn attracted plenty of “likes”. The comment below has received 82 favourable opinions:

People criticize Israel but no one says a thing about Saudi Arabia, why?

Saudi Arabia expelled 200,000 Africans a few weeks ago!

The death of Ariel Sharon brought the protests and strike to a temporary halt for a few days. However, the struggle of the undocumented migrants in Israel continues. After marching outside the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as other foreign embassies in Tel-Aviv, protesters have held demonstrations in front of The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the government continues to herald sluggish proposals.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/26/cries-of-discrimination-as-israel-detains-illegal-african-immigrants/feed/1Reason for President of Central African Republic Djotodia Imminent Resignationhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/08/the-reason-for-the-president-of-central-african-republic-djotodia-imminent-resignation/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/01/08/the-reason-for-the-president-of-central-african-republic-djotodia-imminent-resignation/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 16:50:54 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=450787Multiple sourcesreport [fr] that Michel Djotodia, Interim President of Central African Republic (CAR) will step down tomorrow (January 9) as his country is rocked by violent inter-community conflicts. Although the minister of Communication denied [fr] the president's resignation earlier, Simon Koitoua in Bangui, CAR opines that it was bound to happen because of the president's recent ill-advised decisions regarding weaponry [fr]:

The head of the transition allegedly approved a financial package that green lighted the purchase of heavy weaponry via Sudan and Chad. The purchase was validated in spite of the embargo on weaponry in the Central African Republic

About 30,000 people have been trafficked to Sinai, Egypt, over the last five years. Cairo-based journalist Bel Trew tweets from a Press conference on the matter, to shed light on “a hugely under-reported issue.”

She tweets:

At a press conference for human trafficking in the #Sinai : a hugely under reported issue #egypt

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/12/04/traffickers-force-smuggled-refugees-to-rape-each-other-in-sinai/feed/3Five Arab Countries Among Top 10 Corrupt Worldwidehttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/12/03/five-arab-countries-among-top-10-corrupt-worldwide/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/12/03/five-arab-countries-among-top-10-corrupt-worldwide/#commentsTue, 03 Dec 2013 10:00:41 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=445603Five Arab countries have been named among the top 10 most corrupt countries, according to Transparency International's newly released annual Corruption Perceptions Index.

Graphic images of injured and murdered protesters spread widely through social media, telling the story of a Sudanese revolution that has been in the making since 2009. At the heart of the revolt is a nonviolent grassroots movement called Girifna, which means “We are fed up. “

This week our MENA editor Amira AlHussaini and Deputy Editor Sahar Habib Ghazi talk about #SudanRevolts with our Sudan author Usamah M, and Magdi ElGizouli, the man behind the influential blog Still Sudan, we will ask him why some are calling the ongoing protests the next Arab Spring.

On Twitter, Yasir Yaha shares this photograph of a child watching the mayhem unfold in Sudan. Photo credit: @yasirya7ia

Sudan's answer against fuel subsidy protests, raging for the fourth day in a row, was cutting off the Internet and killing dozens of protestors. Activists say Sudan pulled the Internet plug to stop activists from sharing its crackdown on protestors on the one hand, and screening the rest of the world from seeing the carnage unfolding on the ground.

Girifna, the Sudanese Non-Violent Resistance Movement, posts a round up on developments in Sudan over the previous four days. They say, over the last 24 hours, the Sudanese government cut off the Internet – to stop videos and images of the crackdown on protesters from spreading.

Popular Protests

According to Girifna:

Sudan is experiencing a new wave of popular protests that are increasing in popularity and scope. They have so far included Wad Madani, Khartoum, Kassala, Port Sudan, Gadarif, Sinaar and Nyala. In all of these towns except Nyala, the protests were triggered by the critical economic situation that saw in the last weeks a sharp depreciation of the Sudanese pound vis a vis the dollar and, and an increase in prices of basic food items and the cost of fuel. This was compounded by the government’s announcement, last Tuesday (September 17) that it was lifting State subsidies from fuel and essential food products, such as sugar. Starting Tuesday, September 24, the price of gasoline almost doubled.

The report adds:

What separates this new wave of protests from previous ones is that the protests are not led, coordinated or mobilized by known political factions or youth movements. These protests are more grassroots in their nature and not geographically localized in specific neighbourhoods. In Khartoum, the protests included most areas, with the participation of school students and young adults.

100 Killed in Khartoum

Girifna's estimate of the human toll is as follows:

Reports of deaths of peaceful protesters, mainly by live bullets, indicate that in Khartoum alone about 100 civilians were killed– by the end of the third day of protests. While in Madani the death toll reached 12 civilians by Tuesday. The number of those injured is much higher, but could not be confirmed.

Gas Stations Closed:

Girifna adds:

In Khartoum all gas stations are closed, creating a severe shortage in gasoline and implying that mobility of residents of the capital will be limited if the situation remains the same. Market places and smaller neighbourhood shops have also closed down creating shortages in basic foodstuff. This has implications on the future ability of Khartoum’s residents to communicate as many depend on pre-paid credit for their mobile phones, and may not be able to buy phone credit in the immediate future.

Schools Closed:

And schools were closed:

On Wednesday the Sudanese government announced the closure of all schools until September 30. At the time of writing this report there was unconfirmed news that a curfew may be imposed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., most probably in an effort to limit the continuation of protests which went on until after midnight in some areas of the capital on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Shutting Down the Internet:

According to Girifna, the Internet was shut down to stop activists and protesters from sharing news on the ground. Also, the government did not want the world to see what was happening in Sudan.

On Wednesday at about 1.30 p.m. Sudan time, news spread about the possibility of the internet being disconnected as information from mobile phones including video footage and photos that were being shared by protesters on the ground; as well as communication via smart phone applications such as, WhatsApp stopped suddenly. Soon after, wi-fi connections were also impacted. This created panic, because in the current information black-out a lot of citizens are using their phones and applications on smart-phones to share videos, pictures and updates. The only source of information for Sudanese inside Sudan and outside was social media platforms where most information was being exchanged, in addition to telephones and transfer of information via word-of-mouth.

The shutting down of the internet comes at a time when very disturbing images and videos of dead students and injured protesters are starting to circulate on social media. It is proof that the Government of Sudan has something to hide that it does not want its citizens to share with the rest of the world.

Activist's Family Harassed:

Sudanese activist Khalid Ewais complains that his family, back in Khartoum, is being harassed by the authorities [ar]:

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/09/26/protests-in-sudan-dozens-feared-dead/feed/2Sudanese Refugee Detained for Owning a Bicycle in Israelhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/07/24/sudanese-refugee-detained-for-owning-a-bicycle-in-israel/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/07/24/sudanese-refugee-detained-for-owning-a-bicycle-in-israel/#commentsWed, 24 Jul 2013 10:15:46 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=425984Darfuri asylum-seeker and actor, Babaker (Babi) Ibrahim was arrested by Israeli police on July 18, 2013 for not having a receipt for his bicycle, which was presumed to be stolen.

Babi, a well-known figure in the Sudanese community in Israel, is a member of a refugee troupe that recently staged a satirical play about the mistreatment of refugees in Israel, One Strong Black. Babi's arrest and indefinite detention without trial sparked outrage and an online and offline campaign to release him and other refugees in his situation.

In September 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Interior implemented a new regulation that allows the indefinite arrest and detainment, without trial, of asylum-seekers suspected of crimes, even if those suspicions are unsubstantiated and would have not led to a conviction in court. In July 2013, the regulation, The Procedure for Handling Infiltrators [the term used by the State of Israel to vilify asylum-seekers] Involved in Criminal Proceedings, was expanded to include refugees suspected of even misdemeanors. Over 500 asylum seekers have been detained under the Criminal Procedure and sent to the internment camps for refugees in the Negev desert until their possible deportation from Israel.

On July 20, dozens protested in front of the residence of Attorney General, Adv. Yehuda Weinstein, who approved the regulation:

The Hotline for Migrant Workers, an NGO advocating for the rights of refugees, migrants and human trafficking victims in Israel, provided an update about Babi's current legal situation [heb]:

After our habeas corpus petition was rejected by the High Court of Justice, yesterday we filed another petition on behalf of Babi… Our petition demands Babi's release and the abrogation of the regulations under which he has been arrested, claiming that the regulation is unconstitutional… We will keep fighting for Babi's release and the freedom of all refugees detained in Israel without trial. The existence of two separate legal systems in Israel: one for refugees and one for everyone else cannot stand. It is outrageous that refugees are sent to life in prison without evidence, without a fair trial, without the opportunity to defend themselves and without the police having to prove that they are guilty of anything. A regulation that it predicated on the assumption that all property possessed by people of a certain skin color is in fact stolen cannot exist in a democratic country.

Advocates Yonatan Berman and Oded Feller wrote on their blog Laissez Passer about the absurdity of detaining people for owning property:

The blog opens the roulette section before its readers – guess what will be the next move [by the government]. Our guess – asylum seekers who won't be able to present receipts proving that they've purchased the clothes on their back will be detainees. Thus we will ensure that all asylum-seekers will walk around naked. Or maybe, actually, this way we will ensure that all clothed refugees will be detained for stealing, while all the asylum-seekers who walk around naked will be detained for indecent exposure.

Almost 160 years after Dred Scott v. Sandford, almost 150 years after the 13th Amendment ended slavery [in the U.S.], Weinstein approved with his signature that there is an entire group of people – incidentally, of course – their skin color is black – that they are, if not property per se, are less than human. Libelous claims (for example, from a swindler of The Chosen People who does not want to pay them their salaries [refugees have been threatened with this by employers - E.T.] are enough to dump them into a legal hole from which it is almost impossible go get out. Ibrahim is very lucky: he is a known figure. He has quite a few friends. About one hundred of them went out on a hot July Saturday night to protest for him in front of Weinstein's home. Most refugees are not that lucky. There is no one who knows them, there is no one of file a habeas corpus for them. They are silenced and disappeared into the hole Weinstein dug for them. The Israeli public did not react to Weinstein's decision that parallels the Dred Scott ruling; there are too many twins of William Yancey [southern Democratic congressman, leading proponent of slavery] and few still dare to say “you mistake us. We will not do it!” [response by a northern Democrat to Yancey's demand that the Democratic Party's platform for the 1860 election include pro-slavery statements]

The Facebook page freeBabi was launched, quickly gaining hundreds of “likes”. The page asked users to submit photos and videos of themselves asking for Babi's release. Many sent in their photos, including famous Israeli actors and musicians.

Famous Israeli singer-songwriter Alma Zohar posted a photo of herself with a sign reading: “Free Babi! Keeping innocents in jail costs you and me a lot of money!”

The producers and directors of the play One Strong Black visited Babi in Giv'on Prison on July 23 and informed him about the ongoing campaign to release him. Babi is set to be transferred to the Sahaornim internment camp on July 24.

The campaign received attention in Turkey, Tunisia and Greece as well. Simge and Vulkan from Izmir, Turkey, took this photo of themselves.

John Brown created this meme using the image of Attorney General Weinstein:

“I don't always approve to lock up innocent people for lifeBut when I do, they're always black”

UPDATE: Following the online and offline campaign, Babi has been released from the Saharonim internment camp on the night of July 24, 2013. The procedure that made his indefinite detention without trial is still on the books and is being applied to refugees.

]]>http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/07/24/sudanese-refugee-detained-for-owning-a-bicycle-in-israel/feed/2US Invitation to Sudanese Official Draws Wide Condemnationhttp://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/07/us-invitation-to-sudanese-official-draws-wide-condemnation/
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/05/07/us-invitation-to-sudanese-official-draws-wide-condemnation/#commentsTue, 07 May 2013 19:18:09 +0000http://globalvoicesonline.org/?p=409508The United States government faced a wave of criticism when news surfaced about an official invitation it has extended to a senior delegation of the Sudanese government, particularly including Nafie Ali Nafie, Sudan's ruling party controversial strongman and Presidential adviser to President Omar Hasan al-Bashir.

In late April, a Department of State official told the Associated Press that Nafie and other officials have accepted an invitation to Washington DC for a “candid discussion on the conflicts and humanitarian crises within Sudan.” Another top State Department official explained to AFP that the U.S. had invited Nafie “after he voiced an interest in traveling to Washington”.

Considered a reward to the Sudanese government despite its ill-reputed record of undemocratic conduct and committing of war crimes in Darfur, the invitation drew wide criticism from the Sudanese activist community at large, as well as US congressmen and US-based Sudan advocacy groups, questioning Nafie befitting to be honored such an invitation.

Dark history

In the early 1990s, a time at which securing its grip on power was the Sudanese regime's top priority, Nafie headed the notorious National Security and Intelligence Service, NISS, during which he was a mastermind of the practices and policies that shaped the ongoing legacy of the security apparatus. Specifically, Nafie is widely believed to be the architect behind establishing what is commonly known in Sudan as “Ghost Houses”, off-the-record detention safe houses at which security agents hold political activists captive without due process or judicial oversight.

Mass human rights violations reportedly have been documented to take place in these ghost houses, including but not limited to torture, rape, disappearance and killing that thousands of political activists faced.

Reports also accuse Nafie of personally participating in committing such violations, including in one incident the beating up of a detainee during interrogation sessions! In a 2008 interview, Nafie bluntly admitted and endorsed the torture of political dissents in his presence, arguing that his mission was to protect the regime, “not play cards with them”.

Unpopular

Nafie is arguably one the most disliked officials among Sudanese people. Well-known for his provocative speeches and statements in which he publicly scoffs Sudanese opposition at large, he is also credited for displaying contempt for any calls for political reform or change in Sudan.

“Lick your elbow!”, an expression he once used to ridicule what he believes is the opposition's inability to overthrow the regime became a remarkable reminder of his ill-mannered and disrespectful attitude towards the Sudanese. During the June-July protest movement of last year, dubbed on social media as #SudanRevolts (See Global Voices Online's special coverage of #SudanRevolts), protesters nicknamed one of the Friday protest days the “Elbow Licking Friday”, in an act of defiance and to challenge Nafie's assumptions.

In early 2012, a young student activist walked into a discussion panel held at University of Khartoum, which Nafie was addressing as a guest. Standing a few feet from Nafie, the activist delivered a speech, in which he harshly criticized Nafie for corruption and other wrongdoing. A video of the incident was uploaded on the Internet, and went immediately viral, viewed by hundreds of thousands online, making the activist an idol among Sudanese for standing up to the fearsome Nafie.

The activist was subsequently arrested and spent a month in prison before he was released without charge.

Bitter disappointment

It is no wonder then, that for a man with such qualities, so to speak, and such history, the US invitation came off as surprising, if not quite shocking, to many Sudanese who suffered and continue to suffer from Nafie's and Sudan government's ill-fated record of oppression, brutal human rights violations and crimes. The non-violent youth movement Girifna (translates to “We Are Fed Up”) wrote a strong-worded Open Letter to US President Barack Obama, describing Nafie's invitation as a “big mistake”.

The letter went on explaining the miscalculations the US government makes by succumbing to the regime's propaganda machine that portrays the ruling National Congress Party as the sole guarantor of peace and stability in Sudan, before concluding:

The Sudanese people yearn for and believe in an alternative: democracy, justice, accountability and peace. If the US government is interested in helping the Sudanese people achieve this alternative, it must not stand in our way. Talking to this regime is one thing, but legitimizing it is a mistake.

The youth movement also launched an online campaign on Twitter, urging those concerned about Nafie's invitation to voice their objection to US government and officials, using the hashtag #NafieTheButcher. Many responded.

@TheDooda: Shame on @StateDept @USEmbassyKRT @BarackObama for inviting #NafieTheButcher for “talks”… He has blood on his hands, literally! @girifna

Azaz Shami, a Sudanese journalist and activist explained on Twitter that “whoever made the decision to invite Nafie is unforgivably unacquainted with Sudan complexity”, as having him “will do anything but bringing peace”:

Washington commits a moral mistake and grave and fatal political one by its invitation to the Sudanese President adviser, Nafie Ali Nafie, one of Bashir's regime “butchers” for dialogue!

The real deal?

The question that begs itself for many in Sudan however, remains whether the US invitation to Nafie and his delegation is a fit of enthusiastic albeit misguided diplomacy, or rather a thought-out policy shift in which the US considers the current regime in Sudan an ally, despite its public pro-democracy rhetoric.

Every third woman falls victim to violence in her lifetime. On February 14, 2013 thousands of people all over the world protested against these daily acts of violence with dance though flashmobs and other artistic events. Under the motto “One Billion Rising” they protested on behalf of the one billion women in the world, who are beaten or raped during their lifetime, according to the United Nations.